Focus, Princess
by Tybalt-tisk
Summary: Allura is bored during a meeting, but luckily she has Shiro to keep her company. Protect Au.


Allura had a headache. She's had one for the past two days now. She had multiple meetings back to back that was only interrupted by luncheons and banquets - which didn't help because a luncheon was just a meeting that involved food, and a banquet was just a fancy meeting that involved food that also required her to dress up. As the princess of Altea, she was expected to be in attendance to each and every single one with a smile.

She held back a groan as she finally finished reading over the extensive list of materials that she had to vote on at the end of the evening. This meeting was a complete waste of her time. After the hectic week she had, she wanted nothing more than to go back home, take a long, hot shower and have a glass of wine. Maybe three.

She refrained from rubbing her temples when the man talking repeated himself for the 4th time. At this point, she was starting to wonder if he just liked the sound of his own voice just a little too much, seeing that he's been the only speaker since this meeting started close to half an hour ago. She mentally checked out the second he opened his mouth.

Discreetly, to be respectful of the speaker, she held her phone in her lap as she scrolled through emails. Most didn't need her immediate attention, but the ones that did, she replied with a short, but concise response. She glanced up when the speaker brought up a new point, and quickly returned her gaze to her phone once she realized that he was quickly going on another wordy allocution about himself. She had already read through the materials and made her decision how to vote long ago, now all she had to do was pretend that she was paying attention.

Her phone buzzed, she rolled at her eyes at the thought of another problem that needed her attention, but her annoyance quickly edged away when she saw the name on the screen.

[ Focus, Princess.

For a moment, her headache dwindled away, and her lips curled up into a ghost of a smile at the familiar words. Her bodyguard never missed an opportunity to tease her at these boring meetings. He hated them almost as much as she did, but at least he had the entertainment of watching her patience wear thin. She didn't have to look around to find him and her eyes immediately met his from across the room. He sat next to the personal assistant of the wordy man currently speaking. The small woman was rapidly typing away on her laptop, taking notes at an impressive speed.

His eyes didn't leave hers as he sent her another text:

{ She's writing down his monologue.

Allura felt her lips twitch before she quickly feigned a serious face complete with an understanding nod when the speaker made a point as he looked her way briefly. Under the table, she texted him back:

{ i bet it's about 9 pages long

[ Close. It's 8. She also included reactions from everyone along with each point he made.

{ she say anything about me?

Allura almost laughed at Shiro's attempt at being nonchalant as he read over the woman's notes by stretching out his arms to get a good look. It wasn't long before she got a reply. [It says that you're the most engaged. Which is total bullshit.

Allura wasn't surprised by the response. She constantly had the eyes of the public on her, but he was always the only one who could read her like this. He's far from an expert, but he could read her better than most people could.

{ most engaged? hard to believe since i would rather be literally anywhere else but here

[ I can tell, but according to little miss rapid fire beside me, you're the only one paying attention.

She turned her attention to the speaker when he suddenly asked her question. She quickly hid her phone and straightened her back before she spoke. "I suppose it is rather...redundant to have the annual Balmera Gala the same day as the Syncline Luncheon; both guest lists are composed of the same people and orchestrated by the same caterer. It would be too strenuous for everyone." Everyone nodded in agreement, happy to hear the voice of someone else for a change.

Allura's phone buzzed.

[ Smooth recovery.

She pretended to flip her hair in an attempt at looking vain. {i'm the master of smooth recoveries

[ Remember when you fell down the stairs last week because you missed a step and you just laid there for a solid five minutes? I do. Wasn't so smooth then, were you? ;-)

Allura's eyes shot to him, and she narrowed her eyes at the look of amusement that graced his face. She held in a laugh at the now repressed memory before she replied back: {first off, that was rude as hell to bring that back up. second, it was dark. and third, that is the ugliest smiley face i have ever seen in my entire millennial life

Shiro bit his lip to keep from laughing, and couldn't help but do the same. He always made these meetings just a tad more bearable. She didn't know what she would do without him. Her phone buzzed with his response.

[ It was only dark because you wanted to sneak out after midnight, but you fell like an ironing board and woke the entire manor up. Also, rude? How dare you? He's handsome. :-)

{ I'm sure the security guards watch it on replay every day. and also smiley faces don't have noses

[ They do. If you want a copy of the footage, I got you. Smiley faces can have noses because mine does. It gives him character. He's distinguished. Charming ole chap. :-)

The room laughed at a joke made by the speaker and the timing couldn't be more perfect because the genuine laugh that left her lips couldn't be stopped and she was happy she was able to blend it in with everyone else. Over the laugh of the other congressmen, she could differentiate his deep, rich cuddle from the rest. He doesn't laugh often, but whenever he does, she was prompted reminded again that it's her favorite sound.

When the laughter died down, the speaker pulled up a powerpoint: 52 Steps For Understanding the Tax Code. Immediately, the table vibrated with repressed groans from all in attendance. Looked like he wasn't even remotely finished with his presentation. When he put on a video with bright graphics and loud music, Allura closed her eyes in discomfort when the loud cues brought back her headache.

She barely felt her phone buzz.

[ Your headache is back

He's gotten better at seeing through her. She turned down the brightness on her phone before she could bring herself to respond. { yes unfortunately

[ Want me to get you out of here?

Allura smiled. They've used that tactic more than once in the past to subtly get her out of a situation she didn't want to be in. As much as she wanted to leave, this meeting couldn't be skipped even if she wanted so badly to. {no its alright. I think I can handle it, but i would kill for some coffee

[I'll take you out for some afterwards.

{ Oooh, is this a date, Mr. Shirogane? She heard him choke on air in the back of the room, and she pretended that she wasn't the cause of it with a smirk.

He straightened quickly with a rapid text: [ Could be if you wanted to.

{ Smooth Recovery ;)

Shiro responded with silent surveillance footage of her tripping down the stairs, and it was her turn to choke on air, drawing in the attention of others around her. She waved them off delicately with a smile.

{ this is a blatant act of disrespect

[ :-)

Just when she was about to respond, another wave of pain shot through her head, and she winced at the feeling. Her phone buzzed.

[ Just say the word, and we're out of here.

{ will do

He didn't respond. Allura was sure it was being he was watching her like a hawk. The rest of the meeting was a blur to her. The speaker went on and on, completely monopolizing the entire meeting, and by the time he finished speaking, no one else wanted to take the stand because they were all mentally drained. Quickly, before the long-winded speaker from earlier decided that he needed to reiterate his opinions on the matter, the council set out a vote. All against him. Out of disinterest or sheer pettiness, no one was quite sure. All that mattered was that they were finally free of this pointless meeting.

Shiro waited for Allura to approach him before he stood. "We're all set?" he asked with a stretch. His legs and arms were stiff and he now he knew way too much about tax codes than he wanted to admit.

She nodded tensely. "Finally." Her mouth was in a tight line, clearly irritated that she spent the last few hours in a meeting listening to a man talk about himself.

He opened the door for her before he followed her out. It was late by the time they reached the parking lot. She headed towards the car, but he gently grabbed her by her arm. "You still game for coffee?" he asked, pointing to the lone coffee shop across the street. It was one of the only shops still open this late.

She smiled and hooked her arm around his. "Of course."

When they get to the café, he prompted her to take a seat while he ordered their drinks. He doesn't need to confirm with her to know exactly what she wanted: a double cappuccino with 3 pumps of hazelnut, and three spoons of sugar. Her staple regardless of where she went. He ordered a simple black coffee before he returned to her.

She took her cup, giving him his well deserved appreciation. She eyed his cup with a suspicious look. "I honestly don't understand how you can drink that."

Shiro laughed, taking a sip. "I think the same thing about your cup of sugar, Princess."

"Its the absolute best cup of sugar," she countered.

They fell into an easy silence, with only the cafe's music filling the space of unsaid words. She laid her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and cherished the moment she had with him. It was a well-needed break from the office and the meetings, and the general boredom that came with it. She was finally free to do as she pleased, and she wanted to do was spend time with him.


End file.
